In a turbulent week for Indiana politics, the state’s Republican leadership has found itself at the center of a national firestorm over congressional redistricting—a battle that has drawn in President Donald Trump, provoked a wave of threats and intimidation against lawmakers, and exposed deep rifts within the GOP over the future of the party and its institutions.
It all began to boil over after the Indiana Senate, led by GOP President Rodric Bray, refused to convene a special session to redraw congressional districts. This decision, which came to a head on November 18, 2025, effectively stalled efforts by the White House to secure two additional House seats for Republicans in the upcoming midterms. According to CNN, the Senate’s stance was supported by Indiana Governor Mike Braun, who soon found himself, along with his family and at least eight other Republican state senators, targeted by a series of swatting attempts, bomb threats, and other acts of intimidation.
Swatting—where false emergency calls send armed police to a target’s home—struck particularly close to home for Senator Greg Good, whose house was swatted on November 17, just hours after Trump took to his Truth Social platform to blast Indiana Republicans for their resistance. "Very disappointed that the Indiana Senate Republicans, led by Senators Rod Bray and Greg Good, do not want to redraw the state, potentially allowing the U.S. Congress to gain two more seats for Republicans," Trump wrote. The fallout was immediate and alarming: at least six more senators reported swatting threats in the days that followed, and Representative Andy Zay received a bomb threat at his business address.
Governor Braun, addressing reporters in Gary on October 30, did not mince words: "Enough!" he declared, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the personal toll it was taking on lawmakers and their families. Braun emphasized that the Indiana State Police and other law enforcement agencies were working “around the clock throughout the week” to protect lawmakers and investigate the threats, a process now involving federal and local agencies. Captain Ron Galavis, a police spokesman, confirmed that the incidents were being treated as related, though details remained closely guarded. The FBI, for its part, declined to comment on its role in the investigation.
The threats have not been limited to Republicans. According to CNN, at least two Democrat offices in Congress faced similar intimidation after a video surfaced urging American service members not to obey unlawful orders. U.S. President Trump responded to this with a characteristically sharp rebuke, labeling it “treacherous conduct, punishable by death.” In the face of mounting danger, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston and top Democrat Phil GiaQuinta issued a rare bipartisan statement: “Threats, swatting attempts, and other criminal activity directed at our colleagues in the Senate are disgusting and completely unacceptable. This is not a way to express political differences, and it must stop.”
State Representative Andy Zay was unequivocal in his condemnation: “I want to be clear: I strongly condemn these actions; they have no place in our political process. While the intent of these intimidations seems to be to create fear among public officials, I assure my constituents that I remain committed to serving our district, your voice, and continuing work at the Statehouse.” Representative Linda Rogers, another target of intimidation, promised to share more details as police investigations progressed.
Behind the scenes, the pressure campaign from the White House has been relentless. According to POLITICO, Bray has received multiple calls from President Trump, including a particularly pointed conversation on November 15. Bray, described as an institutionalist and the son and grandson of prominent Indiana politicians, has remained steadfast despite the mounting pressure. “It’s absolutely imperative that we’re able to do hard things here, and in order to do that, to do hard things that maybe not everybody agrees with and maybe even some people get really angry about,” Bray told POLITICO. “They have to have trust in the institution.”
Bray’s refusal to bend has made him a lightning rod—not just for Trump’s ire but for attention from national Republicans. On November 19, following a federal court ruling against Texas’s redrawn congressional maps, House Speaker Mike Johnson personally called Bray, signaling just how closely national GOP leaders are watching Indiana’s redistricting saga. Bray characterized the call as “fantastic” and “productive,” though he declined to elaborate on whether Johnson empathized with his predicament.
Trump’s disappointment has been palpable. After his most recent call with Bray, the Senate leader recalled telling the president, “I’m sorry, Mr. President. We think there is another path forward to get you what you need, and that is by finding a good candidate instead in congressional district No. 1 and getting behind a person there and funding that person and organizing that campaign.” The White House did not respond to requests for comment, but sources close to Trump have made it clear: “There’s no moving Bray. He’s going to die on this hill.”
The broader political climate has only sharpened the stakes. A recent POLITICO poll found that a majority of Democratic and Republican voters now support partisan redistricting as a tool to gain an advantage in the midterms—54 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of Republicans, respectively. The intensity of the debate in Indiana, then, is both a reflection of and a contributor to national trends, where redistricting has become a high-stakes, high-pressure game with control of the House of Representatives hanging in the balance.
Meanwhile, the specter of political violence looms large. The murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this year still casts a shadow over discussions of safety and civility in American politics. Lawmakers and candidates from both parties have called for a tempering of rhetoric, with Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene among those urging restraint. “Political violence and similar threats are unacceptable,” said the office of Chris DeLuzio, a state representative who has also faced intimidation.
As law enforcement agencies continue their investigations and Indiana’s political leaders navigate a treacherous landscape of threats, pressure, and partisanship, one thing remains clear: the battle over redistricting in Indiana is about more than just lines on a map. It is a test of institutional integrity, personal courage, and the resilience of democratic norms in an era of unprecedented political polarization.
For now, as the dust settles on a week of threats and high drama, Indiana’s leaders are left to grapple with the consequences of standing their ground—hoping that the institutions they defend can weather the storm and emerge stronger for it.
